The Divine Right of Kings
by Duxbelli
Summary: 7 years after Lady Knight. The Chamber calls on Kel again, while Dom trys to rescue his family fief, and Tobe- well, what happens to Tobe is a surprise. R&R please.
1. Prologue

**Okay, so I've redone this story so it's less soapy. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Why isn't writing 'Disclaimer' enough?**

Prologue

Time: 09:43

Place: Masbolle Capital Market

Dom bought the flowers. The lady had hassled him until he bought the bouquet of forget-me-nots.

_How ironic_, he thought. His first anniversary with his wife, Lady Knight Keladry of New Hope, was that day, and he was going to be absent for it. Yet, he'd bought a bouquet of her favorite flowers, and wouldn't be able to give them to her. He'd even had a party planned, with Lord Raoul, Buri, Neal, Yuki, Alanna and George in attendance. Crown Prince Roald and Shinkokami were coming later, citing the need to travel at a slower pace because of Shinko's pregnancy.

Then his brother had died, and he'd had to leave the party to Tobe. Dom hadn't had any love for his brother. He'd seen Jeffrey as nothing more than a high-born bully, truth be told. He'd even seen his brother's illness as just a bit justified by his mean spirited ways. But he couldn't be glad for his death. No matter what, blood was blood, and Jeffrey had died young.

Now, Dom, Duke Domitan of Masbolle and New Hope officially, walked through the busy Masbolle Market, in his oldest shirt and breeches and a cloak of undyed wool, and witnessed the poverty his brother had allowed their people to fall into.

The children ran underfoot, too skinny, the sellers in the market sold food at exorbitant prices, the men at arms who were supposed to be policing were acting as bully boys for some of the wealthy traveling merchants.

Jeffrey had left the small for dead in Masbolle. They seemed to need a protector.


	2. The Chamber

**Okay, so I've redone this chapter, because it was just a little too soapy for my taste. The storyline is going to be very different from the original, but it's, in my opinion, much better than it was. Thanks so much for the reviews! I have to say, I only found the motivation to keep at this story because of the reviews.**

**Disclaimer: It's not good enough to be Tamora Pierce's, and definitely not cannon enough (in my humble opinion).**

New Hope had grown so much. It had started as a refugee camp much like Haven but had quickly grown to be more like a protected village of sorts. It was Kel's pride and joy. She spent every waking minute helping to make it stronger, bigger, more prosperous. She skipped meals sometimes to help with a project or to write a report. She stayed awake for hours into the night to work on something or other. She had a constant headache but never went to a healer for it. In short, she was worrying Tobe.

Tobe walked into the room he shared with his mistress. He was tired from a day of mucking out stalls and grooming horses but had brought a plate of food with him knowing Lady Kel hadn't come to supper. He was a strong boy of 16 now, well fed and had hit a growth spurt a year ago that had made him a decent height and his work in the stables had made him broad shouldered and strong. He walked into Kel's office through the door adjoining her room to her office to see Kel slumped against her desk. In her hand she still held a quill. Her other was clenched tightly, blood dripping from where her nails had cut her palm.

Tobe knew this already without looking at her. He had found her in much the same position plenty of times. Normally, he woke her now and had her to eat, sometimes it was her only meal of the day. Tonight though, he decided she needed the sleep and he would hassle her to eat in the morning before he went off to his job as head hostler. He walked over to the desk and set down the plate of food. He watched her for a moment. Normally her husband, Domitan of Masbolle, would be the one to make her eat and sleep but he had had to go back to Masbolle when his brother died to make arrangements and to do all other sorts of lordly things he had to see to now that he was the Duke of Masbolle. He was not expected to come back for at least 3 months because he couldn't leave during the harvest. Kel had stayed behind to look after her own fief, New Hope and the surrounding area.

Tobe walked around the desk and gently lifted his mistress into his arms and was surprised by how light she was. She stirred in her sleep and started murmuring, "No, no, you can't, no." He could feel her ribs against his chest. Deep circles under her eyes showed her lack of sleep and her nightmare made her start to flail about in his firm hold. Tobe couldn't bear to see his mistress like this and promised himself he would make her take a break and regain her health.

He carried her into their room and set her down in her bed, gently tugging off her boots, pulling the covers over her and undoing her now long hair from the stern bun that she wore. He looked towards his cot in the corner and sighed, how he would like to go to bed and sleep.

No one ever said anything about how he still slept in her room at age sixteen-when her husband wasn't there-in front of him. He had overheard some people saying they thought it was because he was still afraid she would up and disappear on him again. That was true, but not in the sense they thought.

Tobe strode purposefully towards the barrack-like housing the orphaned working aged boys and bachelor young men lived in. The air was chilly outside. Tobe didn't notice, he was worrying about Kel. He loved her fiercely as a brother, and he couldn't bear to see her like she was. He hadn't missed the tear streaks on her face as he'd lain her on her bed. She seemed so frail, he couldn't let her do this to herself anymore. He strode into the building to shouts of greeting and invitations to card and dice games. He declined the card games politely and walked over to a young man a couple years older than him. Tobe quickly explained to the man that, until further notice, Tobe would be taking some time off and the man was to run the stables. The man nodded, barely looking up from his card game. He took over for Tobe often, but he didn't realize that this wasn't for one or two days as it was normally, this was going to be indefinitely.

Tobe walked out of the barracks and back into the brand new manor house. He walked up the left flight of steps to the guest's quarters, where he knew Alanna the Lioness had just arrived to as he had seen her horse in the stables as he had passed. He strode boldly up to the only room with a light in it and boldly knocked.

"What in the name of the Great Mother- oh hey, it's you Tobe. What can I do for you?" Alanna said when she opened the door. She was still dressed in her dusty traveling clothes but she didn't have her sword belt on.

"I umm, I need you to help me.. well umm Neal used to.." Tobe stammered under her violet gaze. Violet eyes were very disconcerting really.

"Spit it out boy" she said gently, but a little sharp "My dear former squire used to do what?" Alanna said, flaming eyebrows arched.

"Sir-Neal-used-to-this-potion-that-would-cure-really-bad-headaches-and-he'd-give-some-to- Lady-Kel-in-her-tea-at-night-and-I've-been-having-really-bad-migraines-lately-and-Lady-Kel-said- you-were-a-healer-and -" Alanna cut off his ramblings. She saw the lie for what it was.

"Who do you really need it for, Tobe," she asked gently. She could tell from how he was twisting the hem of his tunic he was worrying about someone. She guessed it was a friend from the village.

The boy bolted. He ran flat out until he was in the hall where the Lady's rooms were. He slowed down and walked quietly. He didn't want to wake Lady Kel. He slipped into the room, closing the door softly and got into his bed fully dressed. He was to tired to do anything but pull off his boots before falling asleep.

He woke to someone softly crying in the dead of night. He looked up groggily and saw that Kel wasn't in her bed. He quietly got out of bed and followed the sound of the crying. He realized the sound was coming from the privy and stood outside, not sure what to do. The crying stopped for a moment and he heard the sound of someone throwing up. He knocked on the door.

"Lady Kel? Are you allright? Lady Kel?" He called. The crying stopped for a moment and Tobe held his breath, waiting for what she would do next. The next thing he heard were sobs. His heart froze. What could make Kel cry like that?

"Lady Kel, I'm comin' in 'kay," he called in a worry filled voice.

"'kay." He heard between sobs and he opened the door to see Kel, who was like a older sister to him, sitting on the floor, her back against the wall. Terrible sobs racked her frail frame and Tobe, without thinking, walked over to her and held her against him, letting her cry herself out on his shoulder. When she was overcome by a wave of nausea he held her hair back and handed he water afterwards. Then she was back to crying into his shoulder.

"Lady Kel? What's wrong?" he asked when her crying had subsided.

"The Chamber," she said simply.

"The Chamber," he repeated slowly.

She nodded miserably. The pain on face was clear to Tobe begfore she swiftly tucked it away behind her Yamani Mask.

Despair quickly came over him. He couldn't lose her. The Chamber would not take her from him again. She was all he had. She was mother, sister, and confidante all in one to him. She was the one who'd saved him.

He stood slowly, shaking his head. She stared at him before turning her gaze and staring at her knees.

"No," he whispered. He backed into the door before turning and running through her room into the hall. He put a hand on the wall, leaning over, breathing heavily.

Tears stung at his eyes. He swiped at them shamefully. He couldn't take just standing there anymore. He strode through the halls, paying no heed to the servants who jumped out of his way with muttered curses for 'Milady's bastard'.

He reached the stables finally. He stomped over to the first stall, accidentally waking the stable boy in the process. The horse whickered at him. He swiftly saddled the mare and led her out of the stables. In his state he couldn't hear the horse's warnings of the danger outside New Hope's gates.

He rode through the north gate, following the rode straight into the heart of the Scranran camp.

Kel knew something was wrong even before the horn sounded from the gate.


	3. The Lone Rider

Okay, so in my rush to get this chapter to you, it only got a cursory inspection. It'll probably get truly edited and re-uploaded eventually. This is a boring chapter, I admit it. I'm sorry! If it sucks, just tell me and I'll work on it.

Disclaimer: I'm not Tamora Pierce.

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><p>Dom sat at the mahogany desk in the master bedroom, thinking. He'd planned to write a long letter, lamenting the lack of his wife's company and swearing fervently to set things right with her before explaining that he would need to stay in Masbolle just a little while longer. But now that the blasted piece of parchment sat before him, it seemed to taunt him with it's blankness. His quill had long since dried.<p>

He finally settled on:_ Kel, I must stay in Masbolle. I'm sorry. Love, Dom._ He called a servant boy to get the piece of parchment to a messenger.

Kel raced to the walls of New Hope, helm and sword in hand. She cursed the fact that her glaive was in Corus, with the palace blacksmiths. She was met on the wall by Corporal Gerard, one of the newest members of New Hope's guard. He handed her a telescope and made way for her to see for herself the situation.

There was no attack. About a hundred yards out, a line of soldiers stood at attention. She looked around, the line circled New Hope entirely. There didn't seem to be an end to the enemy, either. She looked again. These were Scanrans, that was for sure, but it was an army.

They wore a red tunic with tan leggings, and an armor of strips of metal bound together. They held a huge rectangular shield to their side that curved inward. Their metal helms were open had no visor, but only cheek guards, and neck guard jutting out of the back. Their swords were not drawn, though their hands rested on them as they stood at attention. It was interesting that their swords were slung from the baldric on the right side. they wore a belt that had strips of leather in front which were decorated with brass plates. About one for every eighty wore a transverse crest, and stood a step out of the formation, though still one with it. These were obviously the officers.

Before the North Gate, in the harvested fields, sat a lone rider. He truly was a magnificent sight. He wore an armor iron with the chest and abdominal muscles molded into it. He wore a cloak pinned to one shoulder of scarlet and it billowed out behind in him in a grand fashion. He held his helm under his arm, but sport a crest of scarlet also, this time the crest attached from front to back. His tunic was the same as that of his soldiers, as was everything else about him, except for perhaps his was a bit newer.

His mount wore no armor, and did not have the bulk of a warhorse, but it was closer to slender, light footed horses of the Bazhir. His hand rested on a pole which held two flags, the topmost one a red flag with a coat of arms on it that was achingly familiar to Kel. Underneath it, was a white flag.

The rider stuck the pole in the ground and put his left fist in the air, arm at a ninety degree angle, and brought it down so his forearm was parallel to the ground. The officers in the formation sporting crests turned and yelled a command. The soldiers all, as one, parted their feet, brought their shields around to be in front of them, and put their free arm behind their back, still facing forward. First one block of soldiers would do it in perfect unison, then the next officer would give the command and his block would do it in perfect unison. Their discipline was eerie.

"Milady, I believe he wishes to see you." the Corporal whispered in her ear. That brought her out of her daze.

"Yes, but I believe I'll be riding out in dress armor, don't you." Kel said, thoughtfully. The chamber had warned her of a new danger, and she believed it had just arrived on her very doorstep.

He chuckled. "Yes, I dare say you will, Milady."

Jonathan of Conte had just received some alarming news. New Hope, the capitol of all the military doings on the Scanran border, was under siege by an army. A true army, a huge army, and a perfectly disciplined army that at least rivaled that of the Tortallans if it weren't easily much better.

And to make it all the worse, his son and daughter in law were traveling right into the heart of this army, as were two of his best friends, the realm's head healer and his wife, and his best friend and her husband were already in New Hope and stuck there. Not to mention that his wife was out in the field with a Rider group somewhere in that area.

Life was so simple when he was just a prince.

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><p><strong>If you didn't get the description of the soldiers, just look up roman legionary. I personally think of the Roman Legions as the ultimate army, and that's what I wanted to make this new Scanran Army. It struck me as kinda odd in the books how Maggur was suppose to get a real army together and he just seemed to put a whole bunch of bandits in a line and called it an army. Maybe a new king would be able to do better... Oops<strong>


	4. Glory Comes From Within

**Sorry about the wait, I've been caught up in writing my own story, and forgot about my fanfics.**

**Disclaimer: It's all Tamora Pierce's, except the story line.**

Kel riding out to meet the commander of this army would later be described by her soldiers as, 'stupid', 'glorious', and most often, 'courageous'.

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><p>"Tobe? Where is Tobe?" Kel called. She was standing at the bottom of the stairs to the wall of the fief's capitol. The worried look on her face as she searched her surroundings for any sign of Tobe grew deeper, the lines more pronounced as she searched.<p>

"Milady, we don't know where he is." A corporal said in her ear. "But milady, the sun is waning and if you wish to speak to this rider you must do so immediately."  
>The soldier had a point. Kel turned and saw that it was Geoff, one of the new soldiers since the war, and directed him to have Peachblossom's parade barding put on.<br>"Very good, milady," he nodded and was off. Kel sighed, she never could get him to stop with that 'milady' business.  
>She raced to her room and began to put on her dress armour, the process taking longer because of the lack of help. Where is he? she wondered as she struggled with her armor. Looking in the mirror she saw that her eyes were red rimmed from crying and was disgusted with herself for her carelessness, but blessed her men for not pointing out the fact that the Protector of the Small had been crying.<br>A knock sounded from the door. "Come in!" Kel had just finished with the last piece of armor and was tugging on her gauntlets. From the crack in the door poked in a head of fiery red hair.  
>"Need some help?" Alanna asked.<br>"Where did you come from?" Kel's face was comically incredulous. She'd had no idea that Alanna had arrived. Dom hadn't told her about the planned party, and so Alanna's arrival had been a complete surprise to her.  
>"I arrived a couple hours ago. Your servant boy saw me. Did he not tell you?"<br>"I've no idea where Tobe is."  
>"Well," there was a long pause. "Unfortunately we have bigger problems. Did you see the size of that army outside?"<br>"Are you kidding me? Surely you jest. Do you think I wouldn't notice the god-shat army of gods-be-damned Scanrans outside?"  
>"Just making sure," Alanna said before moving her head out of the door and closing it.<br>Kel resisted the urge to whack her head on the wall a few times in favor of vigorously wiping her face with a damp cloth a few times. She looked in the mirror at herself. Her shoulder-length hair was swept back in a horse tail, which she decided to let it out from. She surveyed that her armor was on correctly, and then turned her attention to her helmet.  
>The helmet was a plain steel helm, flat on the top and polished so bright she could see her frown on its side. She shook her head, ending her revery, and placed the helm over her head. She looked in the mirror through the slits in the helmet and decided to go without. Removing her helm, she took off the hood of her chain mail and chuckled, realizing she was doing the same thing with armor the court ladies did with their dresses.<br>The knock on her door brought her back to reality, and when she opened it to reveal the Captain of the Guard in full dress uniform, though the chain mail under it was of a more functional type than the mirror bright kind usually worn.  
>"Yes?"<br>"Milady, I will accompany you as your standard bearer."  
>"Then come along." Kel brushed past him and began walking quickly to the gates, where she was met by Meech, an apprentice hostler, with Peachblossom. She nodded to him as she mounted her warhorse and signalled for the gate to be opened.<p>

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><p>"What do you mean there is no village healer?" Dom was very, very angry. His brother's secretary was a plump, rude man who was not giving Dom the respect do to him in any way, shape or form. He wasn't being helpful, either, which irked Dom the most.<br>"What I mean, milord, is the last healer for the county you pointed out died six years ago, and has as yet not been replaced," the secretary replied grumpily.  
>"And was my brother informed of this?" The words came out through clenched teeth.<br>"No, Milord. He expressed that he did not want to be informed of the doings of the fief except for the annual total of his wealth."  
>"The swine!"<br>"Milord! Really! Respect for the dead!"  
>"Look," Dom leaned down so that he could look the vermin right in the eye, "any liege lord who does not provide even the most basic necessities for his people is a gutless pig and deserves to be called one. Do I make myself clear?"<br>"Y-yes, Sir," the secretary stuttered out.  
>"Good." Dom's anger had dissipated. "Now, tomorrow I will ride circuit of the fief, and hold a circuit court in Goddenshire, Ramenon, and Hemings. You will accompany me."<br>"Very good, milord." The man bowed and backed his way out of the room.

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><p>"What do you mean, we're lost," Thayet cried, throwing her arms up in the air as she yelled at the poor first year rider who had their map.<br>"Sorry, Your Majesty," the poor girl said, hanging her head.  
>"Oh, perk up. Thayet's just being an arse." This came from Raoul, who found himself swiftly rounded upon by Thayet.<br>"I am being an arse? I'll show you an ar-," Thayet quieted when she heard a horn call in the distance.  
>They were on a path in the woods, mounted on their horses. Thayet, Raoul and Buri were traveling with the First Rider group, as well as Evin Larse and Miri Fisher, the joint commanders of the Riders. Thayet was in a horrid mood for most of the trip as she was, though conditioned to such conditions, getting old (and in denial of the fact, according to Raoul).<br>"That's a fort alarm call isn't it?" Raoul asked. He snatched the map from the poor first year and frowned at it.  
>"We're not supposed to be anywhere near a fort right now," he mumbled. Buri steered her pony to Raoul's side, who leaned to give her a better view of the map.<br>"Hon, we're near New Hope, which is a fortified city. Don't be such a-," Buri was cut off by Raoul squawking in realization and spurring his mount forward, Thayet, Evin, and Miri behind him. Buri spurred her mount seconds behind them, her pony showing inordinate amounts of speed.

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><p>What in the heck is wrong with Keladry? Alanna thought. Alanna had always known Kel to be quiet, collected, and above all else, polite. But today she wasn't rude exactly, Alanna knew rude, but she was being short. Then again, Alanna had never watched her closely when New Hope had been attacked or in imminent danger, as all other times the enemy had attacked, which had called for Alanna to fight, not watch Kel. Maybe it was the result of stress, a person's patience can wear short under enough stress, even someone's patience as infinite as Kel's seemed.<br>Be that as it may, Alanna had larger problems, and pondering was not a favorite hobby of hers. She watched Kel ride from the gates, looking immaculate in her armor. She always did favor diplomacy, and intimidation is the oldest and crudest of form of diplomacy. Alanna's thoughts brought a smirk to her face, before her eyes measured the might of the Scanrans. Of course, I don't think the odds are on her side with the whole intimidation thing.

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><p>Kel rode Hoshi at a trot to a spot twenty yards or so from the lone rider. She halted Hoshi and the Captain of the Guard stopped his mount, sticking the New Hope standard into the earth.<br>"Who goes there, and what are your intentions?" Kel's battlefield trained bellow seemed to shake the silence. Hoshi refused to remain still, shaking her head, and stomping.  
>"I will answer your questions only if you answer one of mine." The deep rumble which answered reminded Kel of the King's voice. Charming, educated, but not oblivious to the harder side of life. But it lacked the pride and melancholy that the jaded King of Tortall seemed to ooze.<br>"No." Try as she might, Kel couldn't keep that hint of obstinate toddler from her response. She hoped he couldn't hear it.  
>He chuckled, his deep voice sounding like the purr of the mountain lion.<br>"Let's not play a child's game of obstinance. I will answer one of your questions first, then you shall answer one of mine in return. Sound fair?" Kel nodded her affirmation regally. "My name is Scanran, but equates to George in Tortallan. Now, my question. What is your name?" The rider flashed a grin that could be seen from under the hood.  
>"Keladry, Kel. What is your intention here?"<br>The teeth flashed again under the hood. "I come peacefully, if that is what you ask. Are you the Protector of the Small, Keladry of Mindelan?"  
>"Yes, as much as I hate the name. Why have you come here with an army if you mean peace?"<br>"It is a legion, and they are sworn to stay by me. I come to ask a favor, will you hear me out?"  
>"No decent being hides behind a hood." Kel said these words slowly, carefully, not wanting to anger, but also wanting to make a point.<br>"I agree, but I need you to agree to hear my request in its entirety before judging your answer."  
>"Why should my knowing your face bear any difference to this matter? Are you a criminal?"<br>"Morally, yes. Legally, no. Any longer, no. You asked two questions, I answered only one. I ask you again, will you hear me out?" Kel glanced to her captain. He nodded yes, glancing at the huge army which surrounded them.  
>"Very well, but you must agree to leave peacefully if I refuse. Make a blood oath to, as a matter of fact."<br>On the wall Alanna, listening using a spell, nodded proudly.  
>The teeth flashed in a grin once again. "Good." He raised his arm and, using two fingers, motioned someone forward. The wall of men behind him broke, revealing men bringing a detachable table to the riders. He dismounted. Kel and the captain did as well. She handed the reins to Hoshi to the captain before taking the seat offered to her by a huge Scanran. All the Scanrans bowed and left, save for the rider, a man to hold his horse, and skinny man who must have been a scribe, by his ink stained hands.<br>"Bjorn, please write what I dictate."  
>The skinny man bowed and pulled a piece of paper from his satchel, a quill and an inkpot.<br>"I do swear to leave peacefully should my plea be repudiated, taking with me every man under my command, and making no plans to cause New Hope any harm in the future without violence being offered to myself or those under my command first by the people of New Hope." The skinny man wrote this quickly and handed it to the cloaked man. He bowed and left.  
>The rider pulled a dagger from his person, and quickly made a small cut in the pad of his thumb. He then pressed his thumb to the paper, and handed it to Kel.<br>"Will you listen now?" Kel nodded, watching him. He slowly drew back his hood.

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><p>Alanna watched Kel jump up before pushing herself away from the table. She looked at the Scanran who had removed his hood. She used a spell to see his face more clearly, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. He had the white blond hair of the Scanran race, as well as the icy blue eyes. He wore a beard cropped close to his face which did not conceal the rosy coloring of his cheeks.<p>

He was incredibly handsome. He had a square jaw, deep set eyes, and an arched brow. His hair was cut to his ears and slicked back. His eyes weren't friendly, more cautious than anything else, but it seemed to Alanna to be a caution born of trusting too readily, than inherent trait. Alanna saw no reason for Kel's reaction before he turned his face to his left.

She knew that profile, but the owner of it was dead. He'd died in the chamber. He'd been dead!

**Horrible, I know. R&R, but please be nice. It'll get edited later for grammar and all that good stuff. I just wanted to get this to y'all as soon as possible.**


	5. Explanations

"Please sit, Lady Keladry. You did agree to hear me out, did you not?" The deep rumble brought Kel out of his shock, and she plopped into the seat, staring at the person she knew to be dead.

"What is your name?" Her breathless question held a hardness so unlike her.

"George, I told you."

"Your name in Scanran."

"Is George not enough?"

Kel took a breath to steady herself and said, "What is your name in Scanran?"

"Joren the Second." Kel opened her mouth to say something, anger on her face, before stopping short thoughtfully.

"The second?" She cocked her head almost comically.

"My father was the heir to Stone Mountain, Joren."

"Joren had no son, he died at eighteen." Kel's reply was accompanied by a suspicious stare. "Not to mention, you look to be too old to have been sired by Joren."

"That's because of the beard and a good amount of make up. I'm seventeen." His statement was met by a cold stare, measuring him.

"Explain yourself, or really your origins." Kel was skeptical of what he said, but couldn't believe the alternative.

"My mother was Maggur of Rathhausak's wife. Our noble lines in Scanra are matrilineal, so Maggur became lord through his marriage to my mother. But before that, my mother visited some family friends at Stone Mountain. She was fifteen, only a couple weeks from her birthday, and from marriageable age in Scanra. She was betrothed to a man she didn't like, to be married in less than two weeks, and here comes the charming heir of Stone Mountain. He was suave, confident, and she was looking for a way to rebel. She slept with my father, he was the same age as her, and she married Maggur two weeks later. I was born, assumed to be Maggur's, but paternity is a non-issue among my people as far as inheritance is concerned, so no one ever wondered. But my mother told me, and she wrote my father, who told her to send me away from both Tortall and Scanra. I was sent to Galla, where I had an uncle in the legions.

"My father said that I may claim his name, but whether I could claim my inheritance remained to be seen. My mother was especially surprised by his response. She had thought he would repudiate me, and deny me his name. That was ten years ago.

"Does that satisfy your curiosity of my parentage?" Hearing all this, Kel could see the differences Joren and, apparently, his son. Joren had had sharper features, and he probably wouldn't have been able grow a full beard, either. Also, while the man, no, boy, before Kel could only be described as handsome in a completely masculine fashion, Joren had been beautiful.

"What do you want with me?" Kel's voice was strong again. It lacked the edge it'd had before, but none of the hardness.

"There is an old law in Scanra which rarely comes into effect anymore. That is my reason for being here."

Kel leaned forward and said, "And what would that be?"

"You burned my clan seat, and my home. I, as my mother's only son, must choose one of only a few prescribed paths. I can challenge you to a duel and kill you, bow out of my position as heir in favor of you or your husband, or petition you to renounce any claim to Rathhausak, traditionally. But I have an offer for you, and it would be mutually beneficial to both of us, and our countries."

Kel was interested, but was suspicious. What could this Scanran possibly offer her? She trusted him just as much as she trusted the boy's supposed father. She motioned for him to continue.

"If you and your husband take Rathhausak's clan seat on the council, I can have the backing of the two most powerful fiefs in Tortall and Scanra to take the throne of Scanra."

A bark of laughter startled the two commanders. New Hope's captain was bent over laughing himself to tears behind Kel. Joren's eyes danced with anger at the assumed insult.

"Pray tell what you find so funny?" His voice was not very loud, but pitched to boom in a most unnerving way. The captain looked up, not in the least frightened (Kel was beginning to wonder if her Captain was a bit touched in the head), and wiped his eyes before straightening up.

"You want the Bloody Throne," the captain said, as if by way of explanation. "You want the throne of Scanra! You must have a death wish, boy!" He finished with a round of howling laughter.

"Do not call me boy!" Joren punctuated his roar by standing and slamming his hands on the table before him. Kel put out her hand motioning for him to sit back down.

"He meant no harm, and he has a point. How will one more ruler for a season help Tortall," Kel said soothingly.

The young man plopped back down in his seat, his temper gone as quickly as it had come. He seemed eager to speak of this plan of his. It reminded Kel briefly of when you asked Numair Salmalin about magic, her father about diplomacy, Raoul about battle strategy, or Neal about his latest history project. That same childlike anticipation and love of a particular subject of academia. She realized with a start how very different this young man was from his sire - Joren of Stone Mountain had hated their academic classes with gusto. This Joren seemed to thrive on the theoretical.

"Others have taken the throne of my people using the armies and noble warriors to force their wills upon the merchants and people. I intend to do the opposite. I will use the might of the people to force the nobles' hand, and the monetary power of the merchants to make the armies stay put."

"This," Kel gestured toward the army gathered outside New Hope, "looks like military force to me."

"This," he said mimicking her gesture, "is a gift of good faith for Tortall should you accept my offer. An entire legion, trained not to protect, not to take back land, not to fight bandits, but to conquer. A legion is one tenth the Gallan Empire's military force, and this one is made up only of Scanrans and Tortallans who've fled Maggur's war to Crya and the surrounding area. If you help me take the throne of Scanra, after this legion has seen me safely to the throne, they are Rathhausak's." He'd stood up through his impassioned speech, and now he sat back down. He stared her in the eye, watching her think it over.

"I can't." She stared him in the eye and said this.

"What-why?" He was not expecting this response. He'd offered them a legion!

"I can't accept anything on behalf of Tortall. And I can't agree to neglect my vassals to go get involved in the politics of Scanra. I'm sorry, but I can't." Kel held his eyes through the entire statement.

The young man's shoulders slumped. A breath escaped his lips and he stared at her for one long moment before looking to his hands.

"Very well," said the young Joren of Rathhausak. "My legions and I will leave on the morrow, if you will permit it. Also, I-"

"Milord Legate!" The cry came from one of the officers of the units closest to the nobles.

Joren turned to him, scowling, and snapped, "What!"

The officer jogged up, and Kel could see that the shield he held wasn't strapped to his arm as any shield he'd ever seen was, but had a handle like a buckler. The officer held out his arm, upper parallel to the ground, forearm at a ninety degree angle. His fingers were together, his palm open. He then made a fist and smacked it to his breastplate. Joren repeated the motion, though in a much more hurried fashion.

"What is it, Praefect?" Joren's question was accompanied by a scowl at being interrupted.

"Milord Legate, we found a boy stirring up the cavalry's spare mounts. He said he was from New Hope, and our orders were to not harm any from there, so we have him under guard." Joren's eyes flicked to Kel as a look of surprise came over her.

"Bring him here." The young commander seemed to actually snap like an animal after saying this, but that had to just be Kel's imagination. The ranks in the officer's unit broke to allow two soldiers lacking both shields and spears. Between them they led a teenage boy. His head was covered with a grain sack, and wrists had been bound, but there was no sign of hurt on the boy, and the rope around his wrists were so loose they seemed to be nothing more than a formality, and the grain sack was not tied to his head. The two soldiers stopped a few paces before the commanders saluting in the same manner as the officer before them, but with unsheathed swords in their hands. Joren's salute back was much crisper, and he straightened in his seat.

"Milord, this is the prisoner. What will you have done with him?" The one on the left was obviously senior by the make of his weaponry, or mayhap just wealthier. His voice was curiously pitched, and face beardless.

"Take off the sack, Alex. We aren't mercenaries." The soldier on the right pulled the sack off the captive's head. Kel gasped.

Joren turned back toward her, "I take it you can identify this boy." His voice was crisp and direct.

"Milady Kel! I's sorry I run away, truly. It 'as jus' tha' damn chamber. I' made me so mad. I jus' lef' ta cool off!" Words tumbled from Tobe's mouth in a great avalanche. In his rush to apologize and explain what he was doing, he fell back into the speech mode of his childhood before Kel.

"You do realize that you have responsibilities bigger than yourself now. You can't just run off anymore!" Kel said these words with a voice tight with emotion.

"I'm chief hostler! I asked my second to take over for me!" Tobe's tone sounded exactly like any other teenager would when fighting with his mother.

"You are the heir presumptive of New Hope!" Kel roared her reply. She immediately regretted saying this. Tobe visibly deflated.

"I'm what?" He squeaked like a mouse.

* * *

><p>Don't kill me! I know it's bad. I really do, but I've had a lot of time in class to work on this (no, this was not what I was supposed to be doing), and I wanted to get this to y'all, 'cause everyone knows I'm the laziest writer that ever walked the planet. Tell me if there are any logic errors in this- but keep in mind that for this to happen it would take a bit of a leap of imaginative faith by the reader.<p>

**- Duxbelli**


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